Shaggy's roadblock

Artiste launches Summer in Kingston

Richard Johnson

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Diamond-selling reggae act Shaggy, truly knows how to party in a big way.

The two concerts he threw for his Make a Difference Foundation are legendary and so the artiste whole latest album is entitled Summer in Kingston, decided to take the party to the streets last Saturday.

A major section of New Kingston's Knutsford Boulevard was blocked to vehicular traffic and became the concert venue and the stage for the world premiere for the track Sugarcane, the lead single from the album.

There seemed to be a great vibe on the streets but patrons soon grew weary as it was not until 10:20 that the acts started to appear on stage, despite an advertised 7:00 pm start time.

QQ, Khago, Chino and Stephen 'The Genius' McGregor, and the antics of the comedic duo, Ity and Fancy Cat, did little to warm up the audience. It was not until deejay Assassin took to the stage that the any noteworthy buzz was created. The deejay, known for his solid performances, did not disappoint his fans and when he was joined on stage by Bounty Killer, it was at that time that the energy truly 'tun up'.

The organisers were mindful not to allow this energy to lull and drew for the main act, Mr Boombastic himself.

In true Shaggy style he sent the ladies screaming as he delivered from his hit-riddled repertoire.

By 10:50 Shaggy was ready to premiere Sugarcane — a cheeky tune set to a catchy beat which has been put against picture-perfect postcard images of Jamaica. The beautifully shot video, directed by Jay Will, features beauty pageant finalist Chantel Zaky as Shaggy's love interest.

The catchy tune went over well with the audience who rocked to the beat and applauded at the end of the video.

More Shaggy tunes would follow the video presentation including the remix featuring the McGregor brothers — Stephen and Chino and Assassin.

With Shaggy done, it was time for more high energy performances from Bounty Killer, the energy god Elephant Man and Beenie Man.

It was during these final set of performances that the patrons began streaming out of the usually busy financial district.